Minus the diminished North Sea oil. Those oil field were developed with British money, and they’ll stay in England.

phineasfahrquar

England may be thinking of this as “addition by subtraction.” In other words, they might be better off without the heavily Socialist Scotland.

f1b0nacc1

Spot on…it would also cripple Labor, which would essentially cease to exist as a viable party in Britain without the north…

Andrew Allison

Not a chance. Despite the wishful thinking of the power-hungry SNP leadership and their media lackeys, I predict that most Scots will recognize that secession would be disastrous.

rheddles

That’s why they should allow the English to vote.

S.C. Schwarz

Another story to file under “The Decline of the West.”

gabrielsyme

I’m sympathetic to Scottish nationalism. The Union was achieved by bribery and subterfuge at one of the weakest points in Scotland’s history. Nor was the Union a triumph of justice – it helped pave the way for the Highland Clearances and the suppression of Scottish culture. Moreover, I don’t think an independent Scotland is a poor structural fit for nationhood.

That all being said, Scotland’s left and lefter electoral history does not create confidence that an independent Scotland will be capable of administering the nation effectively.